Shimp and the Blade Temple
by Foxpilot
Summary: For Lord of the Storms 28's contest.  A Sheikah meets the Hero in front of a Temple.  There's plenty of reasons this wasn't int he real Ocarina of Time...


"**And so, I submit yet another story for yet another contest. This is for Lord of the Storms 28's Original Character contest, which could be pretty interesting.**

"**For the general background of the story's plot, I'll simplify. This takes place during Ocarina of Time, between any two dungeons past the Fire Temple. If I say more, I'll give it away. So you'll just have to read in order to learn the rest. But let's just say there are plenty of reasons this didn't exist in the real game, the biggest one of which is…**

"**I do not own Legend of Zelda. Now, we may as well start, hm? Let it…Begin!"**

LOZLOZLOZLOZLOZLOZLOZ

She checked the sun for the hundredth time. She could swear that the fiery orb hadn't moved a single inch since she had been ordered to stand here.

_Stupid Sheik. Stupid Sheikah. Stupid rules_. She picked at her skin-tight suit. _Stupid uniform. If I could at least take off the head-wrappings, then this would be more bearable. As it is, I'm practically blind from sweat._

She was overreacting, of course. Though the traditional grey-and-blue garb of the Sheikah didn't let much body heat out, it still wasn't enough to make its wearer perspire so much that they could shower in their own fluids-especially when the wearer was standing in the shade and was eleven years old.

But Sheik's instructions had been specific: wait here in case a man in silly-looking clothes traveling with an obnoxious blue-and-white puffball showed up. _Aunty Sheik's crazy. What kind of idiot would travel with an annoying companion, a fairy no less? Not even Granny would be dumb enough to fly with a fly-sized pain-in-the-rear. Hmph, it such a creature would probably be waiting for you to die just so it could heal you and run off._

The Sheikah pulled again at the skin-tight leotard. When this whole "hero and villain" thing was over, she'd get Granny Impa to make her something a little less tight. It felt like the suit was conspiring against her to cause wedgies!

"Hey!"

The young warrior's ears twitched at the call. Looking around, she immediately took stock of her surroundings. The yell came from over the hill, but didn't sound like a cry of distress.

"Hey! Listen!"

Three words in and the voice was already annoying. It didn't sound human, either…could it be the traveler Sheik was talking about?

Wasting no time, the Sheikah backed into the shadows, waiting for the voice and accompanying figure to crest the knoll.

She didn't have to wait more than a minute. From the direction of the irritating voice came a man and a sparkling ball of light. The man was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, while the sparkling orb radiated both wisdom and annoyingness. _Well whaddaya know? Aunty Sheik isn't a complete blowhard after all._

The man traveled the path with an air of one who had faced many hardships and was resigned to overcoming more. His face was set in stone under a strange green cap that looked like it belonged in a teacher's "time-out" corner. The ball of light—an honest to Goddesses fairy!—was prattling away at her traveling companion.

"Look! This is the Temple of Blades. Remember, if we're going to get the Medallion from the Sage, we have to fight our way past all traps and obstacles and beat the boss. But we can do it!"

So it was the Hero after all. That meant that it was safe to reveal herself.

Stepping forward, the girl cleared her throat as the shadows receded on her form.

Unfortunately, she tripped on a rock. All she called attention to was her own clumsiness and lack of training. "Ow."

The man, clearly concerned for the child, knelt to help her up. The fairy, on the other hand, began to prattle on.

"Link! This person seems to be one of the Sheikah! Maybe he'll be able to tell you what's up next!"

The young warrior rolled away from Link's offered hand and attempted to jump to her feet—only to end up flopping onto her back again. "Urg. And hey, I'm a gir—uh, I mean…" Rolling onto her stomach, the girl stood up slowly, forming her words carefully. "Fairy, we Sheikah are masters of the shadows. Gender is pointless." The words sounded like they were read from a book rather than crafted for the occasion.

If a fairy could look put-off, the floating ball of light would be a prime example. "Uh, okay? Anyway, aren't you going to tell us the warp song for the temple or give a lesson on the element inside? And who are you? Aren't you a little small to be a Sheikah? And where's Sheik?"

"Aaargh! Shut up! Eh, I mean…the path to wisdom is not in the answers, but in the questions…?" _Crap, Granny said the books would help if I learned them!_

Dusting the suit off, the Sheikah tried her best to look quietly dignified. "Ahem! I am Charle—uh, I mean Shimp! I am a survivor of the Sheikah and am here to help you, the Hero, on your quest."

"'Shimp'? More like Shrimp!"

"Yeah, that's what Sheik says, too," muttered the young Sheikah. To her audience, Shimp said, "Please refrain from such petty titles. Time is short and the Dark Lord Ganondorf must be stopped. His sharp sword of power penetrates…uh, no…Er, the pointy sword of evil hangs above your head…Gah! How does Auntie Sheik do this?"

The fairy backed up a little, surprised at the youth's outburst. "Hey, kid? You alright? Maybe you should get someone more practiced to deliver the speech."

"No, no! I can do this! Uh…Hero chosen by the Goddesses, the time of your confrontation with the evil Ganondorf draws near. But the Blade of Evil's Bane will be no match for the sword of darkness without an equally-sharp wit to wield it. In this temple, you will find many traps of pointy death that will try to keep you from getting the great treasure within. It will take all of your cunning to bypass these hazards."

Shimp pulled a large harp from the magic pocket in her suit. "I will now play you the Harmony of Blades." Without hesitation, the Sheikah trainee began to play the strings.

_A…F…B…A…C…D…F. Yes, got it right!_

The man in the funny hat pulled out an instrument—Shimp recognized it as the Ocarina of Time—and repeated the tune flawlessly. The two fighters then engaged in a duet of string and air, creating a wonderful melody that seemed to echo across the land. At the end, the Hero put his instrument up to his ear and gawked in wonder.

_What a moron. This guy's going to save Hyrule?_

At length, the man put the sacred instrument away, cueing Shimp to continue. "I don't know if we'll meet again, Hero, but I must say it's been a pleasure." _Pfft! As if! Stupid Sheikah code of courtesy._ "The next temple you visit will be guarded by Sheik, your old friend." The Hero recoiled in surprise. "What's wrong, Hero? We are both Sheikah. Frankly, it shouldn't be a surprise that Ze—ahem, Sheik will be the one to guide you more. She—I mean he—I mean…uh…" _Craaaaaaap!_

Knowing that her plans had been foiled, Shimp pulled a Deku Nut from her magical pocket and threw it on the ground. The resulting flash of light left her blinded, and she began to stumble rather than leap away gracefully.

Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. Looking up, the Sheikah's watering eyes managed to pick out a Hylian face with a pointy head. Since it was impossible for a Zora to reach the Temple of Blades so easily, Shimp reasoned that the Hero had stabilized her.

"Alright, kid, who are you trying to fool?" And the fairy was still annoying. "You're no Sheikah! You probably stole that uniform and decided to play dress-up."

"I am so a Sheikah!" Shimp yelled as she stamped her foot. "I'm just in training!"

"Uh-huh, sure you are. Hey, Link, let's just get this temple done."

"C'mon, you gotta believe me! I ran away from home just to be a Sheikah! Granny even said I'd be able to be one if I could prove myself!"

By now, Shimp's eyes had cleared, affording her a view of the face of Link, the Hero. He seemed torn between believing the Sheikah-in-training and entering the Temple of Blades. Even as he stood, staring at Shimp, she knew that this wasn't the time to get into her history.

"Gah! Just go already, Hero! The sooner you kill Ganondorf, the sooner peace can be restored." Closing her eyes this time, Shimp tossed another Deku Nut on the ground and broke for the shadowy side of the imposing building."

From her hiding space, Shimp observed Link and Navi enter the temple. Once the mighty doors had closed behind them, she began to grumble.

"Stupid fairy. Stupid Hero. Stupid Granny. Just because I ran away from home doesn't mean I'm not a Sheikah. Yeah, Granny even said that I could be one. So there! If Granny Impa says I can be a Sheikah, then nobody else can say otherwise."

Thus reassured, Shimp poked her head out from behind the building. Once she was sure that the cost was clear, the wannabe-Sheikah strolled out from the protective, suffocating shadows and left the grounds of the Temple of Blades. There would be no way she'd fail at being a Sheikah. She'd snuck out from her house in Kakariko just to become one. Granny Impa had even said that leaving home at eight was brave enough for a warrior of the shadows.

Looking back one last time, Shimp silently promised to show up when the Hero dealt the final blow to the usurping Gerudo King of Evil.

And then, silent as a shadow, she slipped away into the fields.

LOZLOZLOZLOZLOZLOZLOZ

"**Well, this was rushed, honestly. It's not my best work, that's for certain. If I were less stubborn, then I'd take this as a lesson in not procrastinating.**

"**Anyway, here we meet Shimp the Sheikah-in-training. Yes, she is kind of a brat. A little Word of God here (not to be confused with me actually **_**being**_** a god—I'm not that full of myself), Impa actually intends to return the protagonist home once she gets too annoyed with the harder parts of being a Sheikah—or gets fed up at being called a guy. Of course, if the entire timeline of the Adult portion of Ocarina of Time doesn't exist or is just overwritten, this entire thing is pointless.**

"**Anyway, that's that. Go ahead and give Lord of the Storms 28 a little attention, though—LS makes a good friend.**

"**Ciao chow, all, and remember to eat in moderation this Halloween. Or not. In fact, you probably won't—and I don't blame you."**


End file.
